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The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch Essay

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The Last Lecture

----"When my father got home after work, he listened to the story and burst into a smile. He wasn't going to punish Tammy. He did everything but congratulate her! I was a kid who needed to have his lunch box dropped in a puddle. Tammy was relieved, and I'd been put in my place ... though the lesson didn't completely sink in," (page 66).
----Randy Paush's professor, Andy van Dam, otherwise known as "Andy van Demand," influenced Randy Paush's life, not only as a student, but also a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
----By the time Randy Paush had stepped foot into Brown University, Randy had known he had certain abilities he knew of, and, unintentionally, made others know as well. "Andy van Dam, the school's legendary computer science professor," made him his teaching assistant, and soon after realized Randy Paush to be "self-possessed to a fault," too brash and an inflexible contrarian, "always sprouting opinions," (page 67). Not only Andy van Dam had thought this, but also Randys good friend, Scott Sherman. As Scott Sherman put it: Randy Paush was known as "having a total lack of tact, and being universally acclaimed as the person quickest to offend someone he had just met," (page 67).
----Andy van Dam had put up with Randy Paush's arrogance and insincerity for far too long, and had one day decided to have a walk and talk with Randy about his strengths and flaws. As Andy van Dam put it: "Randy, it's such a shame that people perceive you as being so arrogant, because it's going to limit what you're going to be able to accomplish in life," (page 68). In other words, Andy van Dam was saying that Randy was being a jerk; but the way Andy van Dam had put words, made Randy Paush open to his criticisms, advice and honest feedback.
----Randy Paush, years later, did the same favor for a young man in Randys "Building Virtual Worlds" class (and as the book does not mention the students name, he will remain anonymous and be referred to as "him,"...